One of the most common problems that are seen today — especially among middle-aged people is lower back pain. And we have our lazy lifestyle to blame for that. But that does not mean there is no way for back pain relief.
That might bring you to the question: is a massage gun for back pain a good idea? The short answer is, yes, it is. It can significantly relieve pain if used correctly by reducing muscle tightness, inflammation, and more. We will get into more detail about the matter here.
1. What Is Lower Back Pain and What Are the Symptoms?
The definition of lower back pain is pretty self-explanatory. But often, it is ignored and allowed to stay, which ultimately results in the pain getting worse. So, it’s better to know exactly what it is and how it feels.
1.1 Tight Muscle
Lower back pain is mostly caused by tight muscles in the lower back region. This significantly reduces the mobility in the muscle groups on the lower side, causing a feeling of discomfort. One of the most common reasons for lower back pain is muscle tightness.
1.2 Muscle Strains
The lower back has a lot of large muscles — and stains in them can cause some serious distress. Strains happen when there is any abnormal stretch or pull in the muscle tissue due to muscular problems. This intense pain leads to a continuously sore lower body.
1.3 Muscle Knots
Knots can happen in the whole body, but the most common region it happens in is the lower back—especially in older individuals. It can cause extreme muscle soreness, too, if not diagnosed in time.
These are the reasons why lower back pain usually happens. If any of these happen, you might feel discomfort in that region. You will also notice that your posture has changed into a more bent shape — making it difficult for you to stand straight and giving you a poor posture.
2. Should You Use a Massage Gun for Back Pain?
If you want back pain relief, massage guns are a great tool to do so. Keep in mind that they are not just massagers, they are called massage guns as they have a resemblance to a real gun in appearance. They are a lot more useful for back pain issues.
If you have a mild case of back pain, percussion massage guns can be your best friend to find relief. These massage guns offer percussive therapy — which basically provides a burst of pressure at a very rapid speed. This stimulates the surrounding muscles.
It is therefore important that you get the right massage gun for you, depending on your needs and budget.
For now, let’s get to know how to use it properly.
3. How to Use a Massage Gun for Lower Back Pain
You should always start the massage with the low setting of your percussion massager, which turns the lower speeds on. In this way, you can know if you need more or if that is enough for you. Going to a higher speed at once might be a bad idea. Give your back time to warm up.
Slowly increase the speed of the massage heads so you can comfortably get rid of the pain from the lower back. Quick bursts of pressure can assure you get deep tissue massage — which is the main instrument of back pain relief.
You should also be aware of what type of massage gun heads you are using since it also is a big part of the procedure.
The lower back is a big area. If your pain persists in a larger muscle group, flat heads are the way to go. On the other hand, bullet head attachments are better for smaller muscle groups as it helps to pinpoint the pain.
4. How Do Massage Guns Help Back Muscles?
The percussive devices, by doing the deep tissue massage, increase the amount of blood flowing to the area, which ultimately leads to the relaxation of the muscles.
4.1 Relieving Muscle Tension
It helps to relieve muscle tension — which is one of the most common reasons for lower back pain. The tight and stiff muscles can often cause discomfort in the back area leading to back pain and muscle cramps.
Massage guns can also help the sore muscles by relaxing them and reducing the ache.
4.2 Helping with Knots
If the back pain is caused by knots in the muscle, a massage helps with that as well. Working your way around the knots or the trigger points can help immensely in tossing out the pain for the time being.
If the back pain is somewhere around the spine, it is also needed to find the trigger points and massage around the region. In that case, a thumb attachment can be a really useful head.
4.3 Reducing Inflammation
Inflammation is also another very common reason why your lower back might be aching. These happen in the spine’s joints. By increasing the blood flow in the area, massage guns can reduce inflammation.
However, it is to be remembered that you cannot apply the massage gun directly to the inflammation under any circumstance. This will only increase the swelling and slow down the process of natural healing. Only massage the surrounding area.
That is how a massage gun can help you in getting rid of the pain in your lower back. But there are a lot of other benefits of using a massage gun, including getting rid of upper back pain, pain between your shoulder blades, neck pain, sciatic nerve pain, injury prevention, and so on.
And this is why a premium massage gun is a must-have for you if you have temporary or mild lower back pain. But that doesn’t mean that it is the solution to back pain of all intensity — or you can use it in all situations.
5. When to Not Use the Massage Gun for Back Pain?
Massage therapy from a massage gun is only good for you if you have a mild case of back pain and it is not that severe. But there are cases where you should not be dealing with the problem by yourself.
5.1 If You Have Hypertension
If you have high blood pressure, you should not be using the massage gun on yourself as it can cause more damage than good most of the time. In this case, you must consult physical therapists to get the proper treatment.
This is because the increased blood flow can actually be detrimental for people with high blood pressure.
5.2 If You Have Chronic Back Pain
In case you have chronic pain in the lower back region, you should not even attempt to treat yourself with a massage gun. Go to a doctor or a physician immediately and follow their advice instead of doing even more damage to yourself.
5.3 If You Have Broken Bones and Injuries
Another very obvious instance you might want to stay away from a massage gun is if you have any broken bones. Directly putting a moving massage gun on an already injured surface can never lead to a good ending.
Again, you might have injuries to your muscles due to many reasons, including sports and weightlifting. In those cases, using a massage gun in order to heal yourself might be a bad idea since the inured muscle might not be ready for the burst of the massage head.
Injured tendons are not ready for massage guns either since they are super sensitive and prone to getting even more damaged even under the slightest of pressure.
Other issues like arthritis and varicose veins are also good reasons to not use the massage gun and go to the doctor instead. Massage guns are great — but they are far from being the solution to all of your problems.
5.4 If You Can’t Use the Massage Gun Properly
A massage gun is a great tool by itself, but its good also is highly dependent on the ability of the user. Being unable to use the device properly will not only be of zero help but might also bring you more problems.
